Furnace Record Pressing to Open Vinyl Record Pressing Plant in USA: “After searching high and low for close to a decade, Furnace Record Pressing recently acquired TEN rare Toolex Alpha record presses. Furnace staff members traveled to Mexico City to oversee the loading and shipment of the presses to their Washington DC area facility. The resulting 48 hours saw the group encounter machetes, protesters, and a genuine kidnapping scare among other logistical challenges.”
Phil Collins Recreates His Iconic Album Covers For First-Ever Deluxe Reissues: “The reissues will include unreleased demos and live tracks, and they’ll also recreate the old album covers, showing Collins’ slightly weathered face the way it looks now.“
“In celebration of the 20th anniversary of their critically acclaimed self-titled debut record, Garbage is releasing an exclusive limited edition 3LP vinyl remastered from the original analog tapes. The box set will include a limited edition 12-page LP size fan-generated zine and a 10×10 autographed photo of the band. In addition to the three 180gm vinyl pieces (12 tracks + g-sides), fans will also receive a digital download card.”
6 Years After Being Discontinued, the Technics SL-1200 Turntable Is Back: “One of the most important turntables in history, the Technics SL-1200, was discontinued in 2010 despite a resurgence in vinyl interest. Now, owner Panasonic is putting Technics is back in the vinyl game, with its concept unveiling at an IFA press conference in Berlin. The move follows years of petitioning by DJs and music enthusiasts, many of whom waxed nostalgic over a turntable inseparable from important hip-hop and dance movements of the past few decades.”
Inside one of the world’s last audio cassette factories: “When the music market moved into CD production and digital formats in the ’90s and ’00s, most tape companies went under. But the National Audio Company in Springfield (Mo) kept going. Instead of music, they focused on spoken word and blank tape customers. They bought out failing competitors, collecting their equipment, and they waited patiently for the music market to pick up.”
